Tournament Recap
Golf fans rejoiced Sunday as fan-favorite Jordan Spieth won for the first time in four years at the Valero Texas Open. Spieth seemed to find his driver Sunday, hitting 71% of fairways while the field averaged 52%. Spieth’s driving accuracy has constantly held him back in the past four seasons; if he has indeed improved his driver, he has a great chance at Augusta.
Charley Hoffman finished second at the Texas open, shooting 16 under. The 44-year-old struggled to find his groove early in the season but is playing well as of late. With three top 20s in the past month, Hoffman has quietly gotten back to his old form. Hoffman hasn’t won since 2016, so he may be past his winning days, but the solid finishes could continue.
Matt Wallace finished third, vaulting him up 57 spots into 97th in the FedEx Cup race. Wallace is a European Tour player and plays this event to prepare for the Masters. Wallace finished a career-best T46 at Augusta in 2020 and looked to build on that performance this week.
Former U.S Open champion Lucas Glover Finished 4th at the Valero Texas Open this week. Glover has back-to-back top 20 finishes but his game pairs poorly with Augusta, missed the cut shooting rounds of 77-74 in 2020. At 41-years-old, glover hasn’t won since 2011, and his winning days are likely over; top 10s from time to time could happen, though.
Anirban Lahiri finished 5th this week, shooting 10 under. The India native earned his third top 20 of the season and launched into 94th place in the FedEx Cup rankings, inside the top 120 that make the playoffs.
Prospect Watch
Akshay Bhatia
Missed the cut at the Texas Open this week by one shot. At only 19 years old, Akshay made a name for himself, shooting 64 at Pebble Beach earlier in the season. He has tons of talent needs time to adjust to professional golf.
Austin Eckroat
Eckroat missed the cut at the Texas Open by 3 shots this weekend. Eckroat played this event as an amateur as he continues to play well at the collegiate ranks. Eckroat put his potential on display at Mayakoba earlier this season, finishing 12th on the PGA Tour as an amateur.
Stephan Jaeger
Won the Emerald Coast Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour this week with a score of 14 under par. The 31-year-old is hardly a prospect, but his second win this season is impressive and will earn him the ability to play a full season on the PGA Tour next season for the first time since 2018.
Andrew Novak
Finished 3rd at the Emerald Coast Classic, moving him into 21st in the points race. Novak is just inside the cutoff for a Tour card after a solid performance this weekend. He has a win under his belt earlier this season, but he has been a bit inconsistent missing 10 cuts since.
The Masters Picks
Cameron Smith – The only player to shoot four rounds in the 60s at the Masters. Tons of talent, solid play as of late.
Justin Thomas – One of the most talented players in the world. With only one major championship back in 2017, Thomas seems destined to capture another after a great performance at the Players.
Paul Casey – Five career top-10s at Augusta, great play in 2021 including a top 5 at the Players and a win in Dubai.
Abraham Ancer – T13 at Augusta in November, on fire ever since with nine top-25s since November.
Corey Conners – T10 at the Masters in November, great play since including a 7th place finish at the Players.
Last Week Pick Results
Ryan Moore – 76th
Chase Seiffert – T44
Scottie Scheffler – T54
Danny Willet – CUT
Tony Finau – CUT
Season Pick Results
| Number of Tournaments | 7 |
| Winners | 1 |
| Top 20 | 6 |
| Missed Cut | 12 |
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